Stuart Houston loved to band birds. With more than seven decades of banding a bevy of feathered friends, Houston always thought retirement was for the birds, as he once said in a media interview. The medical doctor and long-time bird enthusiast died in July at age 95. Houston was born in North Dakota where his […] Read more
William DeKay
Stories by William DeKay
Small-town show hits the big time
Perdue, Sask., show becomes Agribition’s only qualifying event in Saskatchewan this summer amid COVID cancellations
The cattle show in Perdue, Sask., stepped up and out this year. For the first time in its 64-year history, the July 23-24 show was designated a Beef Supreme qualifying show for this year’s Western Canadian Agribition, the only qualifying show in Saskatchewan this summer. “It’s exciting for a little ag society to get this […] Read more
Farmers embrace treaty land sharing process
Network aims to foster understanding between producers and Indigenous people by welcoming them to use farmland
A seed of hope was planted on a small mixed farm near Bladworth, Sask., earlier this month as the first sign for the Treaty Land Sharing Network was unveiled. Farmers, ranchers and Indigenous land users gathered at the McCreary family farm to witness the launch of a grassroots movement dedicated to share land as treaties […] Read more
Tech called a game-changer for ag
Food companies are using technology to push boundaries and make production more sustainable, reliable and secure
Compared to cattle, crickets punch far above their weight as a source of protein. “There’s a biological organism that is arguably the most ancient source of protein that humans have ever consumed in recorded history that has the most efficient feed-to-protein conversion and that is insects,” said Muhammad Ashour, co-founder and chief executive officer of […] Read more
Rotational grazing boosts water use
U of A researchers determine that adopting adaptive multi-paddock grazing improves water infiltration in grassland soil
Over the past five years, a group of scientists at the University of Alberta conducted a research study to better understand how rotational adaptive grazing management across Western Canada influences environmental processes. They have demonstrated that adaptive grazing improves soil water infiltration in temperate grasslands compared to conventional grazing practices. In a published paper, the […] Read more
Study finds significant beef payoff
New report says it is difficult to measure the economic significance of the sector by just looking at farm cash receipts
A recent study shows beef production in Canada contributes more to the overall economy than is shown by traditional measures such as farm cash receipts. The recent Economic Impacts of Livestock Production in Canada – A Regional Multiplier Analysis, funded by the Beef Cattle Research Council, confirmed the beef sector continues to be a significant […] Read more
Building connectivity one field at a time
The reliability of precision agriculture continues to grow as mobile data connection improves in the field. “When we talk about a mobile data connection, that would be a wireless network,” said Greg Jacobs, external communications manager with SaskTel. “If you have a wide availability of wireless connectivity, you have a greater ability to use that […] Read more
Summer arrives in a chilly mood
Frost blanketed a large swath of Saskatchewan in the early morning of June 21, just as spring turned into summer on the calendar. It took a few days for the province’s crop extension specialists to assess, but they have since determined that canola and lentil fields from Preeceville in the northeast to the southwest’s Val […] Read more
City girl discovers a good fit with farm life
On the Farm: The Skinners grow wheat, barley, oats and canola and calve about 250 purebred Red and Black Angus cows
ENGLEFELD, Sask. — City girl Bonnie Skinner went looking for a farmer and the search led her to marry her husband Pat. “When I met Pat on his farm and he was covered in dirt, I just fell in love,” she said. The two connected online in 2006 using the dating service Cupid.com, which they […] Read more
Researchers link temperament with disease
The study characterizes cattle behaviour, such as aggressiveness, and its link to negative health and welfare outcomes
Measuring the temperament of beef cattle could help predict disease susceptibility and manage high-risk animals. Development of a chute-side test using feedlot cattle temperament as an indicator of disease resilience is the focus of a new five-year research study at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. “The way I use […] Read more
